Bundesliga

Without their top player Anders Lind, Borussia Dortmund suffered their third straight defeat in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) on Sunday evening. Although Kristian Karlsson marked his return with a 3:1 win over Hiroto Shinozuka to give the hosts an early lead, ASC Grünwettersbach turned the match around and secured a 3:1 victory.

Tiago Apolonia was the decisive figure. The Portuguese star remained unbeaten in both of his singles: first sweeping aside Adam Szudi 3:0, and then rallying from 1:2 down to defeat Karlsson 3:2 in the marquee encounter.

Between Apolonia’s wins, Ricardo Walther added a convincing 3:0 triumph over Cedric Nuytinck. Yet despite the clear result, the veteran had some criticism for his own bench: “It was too quiet on our side,” he told Dyn. “I had to send a signal to the guys to get them refocused.”

Dortmund sliding down the table

For Dortmund, the slide in the standings continues. After their opening win in Ochsenhausen, three losses in a row now leave them hovering just above the relegation zone. Grünwettersbach, meanwhile, consolidated second place behind Bergneustadt. Next up is Bad Königshofen—a challenge not to be underestimated, Walther warned: “Every match is close, the teams are very evenly matched. Königshofen may not have a win yet, but you can’t underestimate them.”

On Monday, the highlight of Matchday 4 awaits as TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell host 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT led by superstar Fan Zhendong. As always, all matches are broadcast live on Dyn.

Matchday 4 fixtures

Borussia Dortmund – ASC Grünwettersbach 1:3
Kristian Karlsson – Hiroto Shinozuka 3:1 (13:11, 6:11, 11:5, 16:14)
Adam Szudi – Tiago Apolonia 0:3 (7:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Cedric Nuytunck – Ricardo Walther 0:3 (6:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Kristian Karlsson – Tiago Apolonia 2:3 (11:9, 13:15, 11:8, 7:11, 6:11)

TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Düsseldorf 1:3
Filip Zeljko – Kanak Jha 2:3 (8:11, 11:5, 9:11, 12:10, 5:11)
Bastian Steger – Anton Källberg 3:2 (12:10, 9:11, 11:7, 11:13, 12:10)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Dang Qiu 0:3 (10:12, 5:11, 8:11)
Filip Zeljko – Anton Källberg 1:3 (8.11, 11:8, 9:11, 9:11)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:1
Jo Yokotani – Martin Allegro 3:1 (11:7, 6:11, 11:5, 11:3)
Ivor Ban – Feng Yi-Hsin 1:3 (3:11, 7:11, 11:5, 4:11)
Csaba Andras – Samuel Walker 3:0 (11:0, 11:8, 14:12)
Jo Yokotani – Feng Yi-Hsin 3:1 (7:11, 11:9, 17:15, 11:7)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – SV Werder Bremen 3:1
Shunsuke Togami – Irvin Bertrand 3:1 (11:9, 10:12, 11:4, 12:10)
Tiago Abiodun – Kirill Gerassimenko 1:3 (5:11, 3:11, 12:10, 2:11)
Iulian Chirita – Matthias Falck 3:0 (11:5, 11:4, 11:6)
Shunsuke Togami – Kirill Gerassimenko 3:1 (11:8, 9:11, 11:9, 11:8)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:0
Adrien Rassenfosse – Erik Schreyer 3:0 (11:2, 11:5, 11:5)
Leo de Nodrest – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:1 (10:12, 11:8, 13:11, 11:3)
Romain Ruiz – Marcos Freitas 3:0 (11:3, 11:4, 11:6)

Montag, 22. September
19 Uhr: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

Alle Partien werden live bei Dyn übertragen.

Picture: Tiago Apolonia of ASC Grünwettersbach (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)